Got some bragging to do

I have two fantastic kids.  And I feel like bragging about them because they deserve some recognition for being interesting, curious, independent, sensible, kind, and responsible people.  I also have two fantastic step kids. I'm not really entitled to brag on them but totally appreciate the warm glow when their Dad gets to.

I won't say I've never had a moment of worry with my kids, but it's been pretty smooth sailing and I've never had to post bail.  This is even more wonderful given they are both actual adults now. 

See, it's easy to brag on our kids when they are little unformed balls of potential wonderfulness.  We can imagine and project our own instinctive recognition of their superior qualities.  Then they become older and we admire their athletic or artistic or academic prowess and vie with other parents (though we don't admit it) to have the most accomplished kid on the block.  We focus on the positives and shelter them to some extent from the consequences of the bad stuff that happens.  We are still enjoying their potential more than who they actually are because we provide a buffer between our little darlings and the real world.

And then at some point we have to let go.  Parts are super easy -  not yelling "clean up your room" out of habit is priceless.  Dragging out of bed to attend the pine car derby at 8AM on a Saturday morning is not something one misses much.  Parts are super hard.  Wondering how they are doing when you haven't heard from them for days and hearing parts but not necessarily all of the story when things go wrong.  Finding out after the fact how they dealt with a major problem.

And that's when we get to see how our kids chose to fulfill all that potential we always knew they had.  

So now comes the story about how my incredible kids have become interns at the White House and are working to solve global food shortages plus earning more money at their tender ages than I earned when I was forty.  Nope. 

And I am perfectly, completely, and utterly fine with that because better than any of that, as adults, they are interesting, curious, independent, sensible, kind, and responsible people.